2.1 Present Perfect
Using have/has + past participle.
Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense connects the past to the present. It's used when past actions are still relevant now.
Form: have/has + past participle
- I have visited London.
- She has eaten breakfast.
- They have finished their homework.
Subject + have/has + past participle
| Subject | have/has | Past participle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I/You/We/They | have | visited | I have visited Paris. |
| He/She/It | has | visited | She has visited Paris. |
Negative:
Subject + have/has + not + past participle
- I have not (haven't) seen that movie.
- He has not (hasn't) finished yet.
Question:
Have/Has + subject + past participle?
- Have you ever been to England?
- Has she done her homework?
- work → worked
- play → played
- visit → visited
Irregular verbs: must be memorized!
| Infinitive | Simple Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| be | was/were | been |
| go | went | gone |
| see | saw | seen |
| do | did | done |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| write | wrote | written |
| take | took | taken |
| make | made | made |
| have | had | had |
| come | came | come |
| give | gave | given |
| know | knew | known |
1. Life experiences (no specific time)
- I have been to Italy. (sometime in my life)
- She has tried sushi before.
2. Actions that continue to now
- I have lived here for five years. (I still live here)
- They have known each other since childhood.
3. Recent actions with present results
- I have lost my keys. (I still don't have them)
- She has broken her leg. (It's still broken)
4. With "just", "already", "yet"
- I have just finished. (very recently)
- Have you eaten yet? (by now)
- I have already done it. (before now)
Simple past: specific time in the past (finished)
- I went to London last year. ✓
- I have been to London last year. ✗
Present perfect: no specific time, or connected to now
- I have been to London. (sometime, still relevant)
- I went to London. (need more context - when?)
Key words:
| Simple Past | Present Perfect |
|---|---|
| yesterday | ever, never |
| last week/year | already, yet |
| in 2020 | just |
| ago | for, since |
| when | recently |
- I have lived here for five years.
- She has been sick for three days.
- They have known each other for ages.
Since = starting point (when it began)
- I have lived here since 2019.
- She has been sick since Monday.
- They have known each other since childhood.
Remember:
- For + period of time (minutes, hours, days, weeks, years)
- Since + point in time (a date, a day, an event)
Choose the correct tense:
1. I (saw/have seen) that movie three times.
2. She (went/has gone) to school yesterday.
3. They (lived/have lived) here since 2018.
1. I have seen that movie three times.
→ Experience (no specific time mentioned)
2. She went to school yesterday.
→ Specific time ("yesterday")
3. They have lived here since 2018.
→ Action continuing to the present (with "since")
Which sentence uses present perfect correctly?
Choose the correct word: "I have studied English ___ five years."
Write the past participle of these verbs:
go
eat
write
play
see
Fill in "for" or "since":
I have known her ___ 2015.
We have waited ___ two hours.
She has worked here ___ January.
They have been friends ___ many years.
Choose simple past or present perfect and complete the sentences:
a) I __ (never/try) Indian food.
b) She _ (visit) her grandmother last weekend.
c) _ you _ (finish) your homework yet?
d) They __ (move) to Oslo in 2020.
I ___ (never/try) Indian food.
She ___ (visit) her grandmother last weekend.
__ you __ (finish) your homework yet?
They ___ (move) to Oslo in 2020.
Oppsummering
I dette kapittelet har du lært:
- Present perfect: Form: have/has + past participle. It connects the past to now.
- Past participles: Regular verbs add -ed; irregular ones must be learned (go -> gone, see -> seen).
- For and since: 'For' shows duration (for five years); 'since' shows a starting point (since 2019).
Hugs!
- Use 'has' with he/she/it and 'have' with I/you/we/they.
- For + a period of time; since + a point in time.
Dette kapitlet er skrevet av Anthropics toppmodeller (Claude Opus og Claude Fable) og er foreløpig ikke manuelt gjennomgått — kvalitetskontrollen gjøres av uavhengige KI-agenter, og innmeldte feil rettes fortløpende. Funnet en feil? Meld fra, så retter vi den. Les mer om hvordan innholdet lages.